


matchstick boy

by jaemarked



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26426086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaemarked/pseuds/jaemarked
Summary: Renjun feels like he’s burning out; Jaemin keeps him alight.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 173





	matchstick boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princepixel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princepixel/gifts).



> this is for my lovely friend pix who has been working very hard and deserves some good fluff. hi pix if u are reading this  
> i love and care u!!!

Renjun is tired.

He’s _so_ tired. His feet ache from standing all day, his legs are trembling under his weight, and his eyelids keep drifting shut as he waits for the elevator to take him to his apartment.

He shuffles out the doors sluggishly, uses the wall for support when his muscles don’t cooperate until he gets to his apartment. He fumbles for his keys, but his fingers aren’t bending properly so he gives up and just bangs on the door with the heel of his palm.

It only takes a minute for the door to open, and he trips inside, his knees buckling. Arms encircle his waist, holding him upright against a solid chest as his boyfriend pulls him into the apartment and shuts the door behind him. Renjun sags in Jaemin’s hold, unable to support his own weight. He’s surprised he even made it home without keeling over.

“Jun?” Jaemin’s voice is low, and warm, and so, so concerned. “Injunnie? Are you alright?”

“‘M so tired,” Renjun mumbles, clinging to Jaemin’s shirt. 

“Come on, let’s get you horizontal,” Jaemin says, then Renjun feels himself being hoisted into Jaemin’s arms. It’s only a short walk into the living room, and Jaemin places him gently on the couch despite his arms shaking under Renjun’s weight. “Just rest now, okay, Injunnie?”

Renjun nods, or he tries to at least, and curls up on the couch. He feels Jaemin drape a blanket over his body, and soft lips pressing against his forehead, but that’s all he remembers before he passes out.

When he wakes up, the living room is dark. He doesn’t feel like he’s slept enough. His eyes ache and his muscles are throbbing from overexertion, three classes and a stressful eight hour shift taking its toll on his body. But the blanket smells like Jaemin’s cologne and the room smells like spicy food, reminding Renjun he hasn’t eaten since breakfast. 

“Jaem?” Renjun calls, and his voice comes out scratchy and raw, so he clears his throat and tries again. “Jaemin?”

A small yelp, then footsteps, and Jaemin appears from the kitchen, poking his head into the room and lighting up when he sees Renjun.

“I thought you would be asleep for longer,” Jaemin says as he comes over to the couch, perching on the very edge. Renjun wants to drag him down, but he knows that he needs to get up, eat, and revise for his quiz on Thursday. 

“How long was I out?” 

“About a half hour.” Of course, Renjun is unable to take a full nap. His body won’t let him rest, no matter how tired he is. Not when there’s so much to do. He pushes himself up off the couch, and immediately there are hands on his shoulders, pressing him back down.

“You need to rest,” Jaemin says firmly, his usual playful smile absent from his face.

“I’m fine,” Renjun argues, and he tries to get up again, but Jaemin pins him down. Red hot anger flashes before his eyes, a combination of stress and exhaustion getting to him. “Jaemin, let me up! I’m fine! I have so much shit to do! Stop getting in my way!”

Hurt flickers in Jaemin’s expression for a brief moment before it’s smoothed over, but Renjun catches it and his anger dissolves as quickly as it came.

“No,” Jaemin says, shoving Renjun down until he’s flat on his back. He’s still gentle when he pulls the blanket back over Renjun’s body, far more than Renjun deserves after snapping at him. “Renjun, you need _sleep._ You haven’t been home in two days! You have a fucking fever and you couldn’t even _stand_ earlier! You’re fucking killing yourself and I’m not just gonna stand by and watch!”

“I’m not,” Renjun protests weakly, but he lets himself be tucked in like a baby. It’s a little funny, because Jaemin looks so angry but his touches are so soft. He’s always been like that with Renjun; gentle, careful, cautious. Not because he thinks Renjun’s fragile, but because he thinks of Renjun as something precious. 

“You are,” Jaemin replies, and he doesn’t look angry anymore, just tired. They’re both tired. “And I know it’s not easy, and I know that you have a lot on your plate but _please_. Just take a break. Rest. Recuperate. You _need_ it, Renjun, no matter how much you insist that you don’t. What’s the point of working so hard if you’re destroying yourself in the process? You won’t even get to see it through to the end.”

Renjun winces and reaches for Jaemin’s hand. “Okay, okay. I’ll rest. You can save the lecture for tomorrow.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m not finished yet,” Jaemin sniffs, but he still lets Renjun tangle their fingers together. “You need to eat.”

“I will in a bit,” Renjun hums, holding Jaemin’s hand tightly and letting his eyes fall shut. “Smells good.”

“I made spicy fried chicken, and there’s rice and soup,” Jaemin replies, and Renjun’s stomach growls in response. He really needs to eat. “Let me go get it.”

He makes to get up, but Renjun holds steadfast, preventing him from leaving the couch.

“Just… wait. Stay like this for a couple minutes,” Renjun mumbles, and Jaemin gets the hint. He shifts so he’s further on the couch, squishing Renjun against the back as he uses his other hand to brush Renjun’s hair out of his face. His fingers are cold against Renjun’s forehead and shit, maybe he does have a fever. 

“Hey,” Jaemin says softly. “Break’s coming up. You wanna come to mine? Meet my parents?”

“I’ve met your parents,” Renjun says, but he hasn’t, really. Video calls don’t count. “I dunno if I can afford a ticket this time around.”

“Oh.” Jaemin shifts so his legs are tucked under him. “They actually offered to pay for your ticket. They really want to meet you.”

“There’s no way I can accept that,” Renjun protests.

“Trust me, they’re not doing it to be nice,” Jaemin says. “My momma says you don’t really know a person until you see how they treat children, pets, and customer service.”

“Ahh, so it’s a test,” Renjun says knowingly. Jaemin had been tested by his own family a few months ago when his parents and cousin came to visit. “I’ll definitely have to come then.”

“Are you afraid you won’t pass?” Jaemin teases, and Renjun opens his eyes just to catch sight of the smile he could hear in Jaemin’s voice. 

“Of course I’ll pass,” Renjun scoffs. “I’ve never been one to half-ass things.”

Jaemin cups his cheek lovingly, and Renjun leans into the touch. “I know. Now come on, you definitely need to eat.”

He helps Renjun off the couch and leads him into the kitchen, pulling out his chair like a gentleman and placing an assortment of food on the mat in front of him. He doesn’t sit down though, and Renjun frowns.

“Aren’t you gonna eat, too?” 

Jaemin laughs and stoops to kiss his temple. “I already ate, baby. It’s pretty late. Hurry and finish your food, okay?”

“Okay.” Jaemin disappears, and Renjun hears the stereo in the living room click on. It’s a little loud for the hour, but their neighbors rarely complained about noise since they tended to be loud themselves. 

Renjun is still exhausted, but the food is warm and it tastes good. The spice erases the cotton feeling in his mouth and he can tell Jaemin put a lot of effort into making it taste delicious. He’s really lucky to have Jaemin, even if they’re practically opposites, they work well together. Like yin and yang. 

He finishes eating and washes the dishes before padding into the living room to look for Jaemin. Despite the music, the living room is empty. He frowns to himself and shuts off the stereo, wandering into the bedroom. It’s empty too, but the bathroom door is open and the light is on, so he makes his way across the room (they really need to clean the floor) and pokes his head in.

The bathroom is full of steam, and Jaemin is methodically pouring bubble bath into their bathtub. Renjun hadn’t even heard the tap come on, but he supposes that’s what the music was for. His heart melts when he realizes what Jaemin is doing. What Jaemin is doing for _him._

Jaemin turns around, and shrieks when he catches sight of Renjun, dropping the bottle of bubble bath. Thankfully, he had closed the lid tightly, and it didn’t spill all over the floor.

“You were supposed to stay in the kitchen!” Jaemin accuses, stooping low to pick up the bottle. “Now the surprise is ruined.” He pouts, and Renjun laughs, stepping fully into the bathroom to kiss his silly boyfriend.

“I don’t need surprises, just you. Join me?” 

“I can tell you’re sick because you’re saying cheesy shit,” Jaemin replies, but he takes his time undressing Renjun, pressing kisses and compliments into his skin until he’s flushing pink, and not just because of the heat. “Wait!”

He darts out of the bathroom and returns with some of Renjun’s tea lights, setting them around the bathroom and lighting them. “There, now it’s romantic.”

Renjun rolls his eyes, unable to hide the grin on his face as he steps into the bathtub, sinking into the hot water with a sigh. He rarely has time to relax like this, and really even now his schedule is tight. But Jaemin had taken the time to do this for him, and there was no way he wasn’t going to appreciate his boyfriend’s efforts.

Jaemin joins him in the tub a minute later, seating himself between Renjun’s legs. Renjun pulls at him until he settles with his back to Renjun’s chest, and Renjun wraps him in a hug. 

“Thank you for doing this,” Renjun says softly, and Jaemin tips his head back on Renjun’s shoulder to press a kiss to his neck. 

“Of course,” Jaemin replies, just as soft. He tangles their fingers together under the water. “You know I hate seeing you stressed.”

“I’m always stressed,” Renjun says with a wry laugh, but he tightens his hold on Jaemin and buries his face in his hair. He wrinkles his nose; he’s never liked the scent of Jaemin’s shampoo, but Jaemin likes it so he keeps quiet. “But I’m alright, I promise. I’ll take more breaks. Maybe I’ll quit the theatre club.”

“But you love theatre.”

“Not anymore,” Renjun admits. “Ever since Donghyuck transferred to Mark and Jeno’s school, it hasn’t been fun.”

“Hmm,” Jaemin hums. “Whatever you think is best. I think that if it’s not fun anymore, and it hasn’t been fun for a while, then maybe you might want to quit before all your good memories are tarnished.”

“You’re right,” Renjun says, “I’ll notify the supervisor tomorrow. And besides, now I’ll have more time to spend with you.”

“Well that’s always a bonus,” Jaemin teases, and Renjun hugs him tighter, overwhelmed by the love he has for this boy. 

They stay in the tub until the water goes cool and all the bubbles have dissolved. Jaemin braves the cold to blow out the candles before they turn on the showerhead, and he insists on massaging Renjun’s scalp and washing his back. Renjun tries to protest, but eventually he gives up and just basks in the attention that Jaemin is giving him. The ache in his muscles has faded, and now he just feels sleepy and warm and loved.

Jaemin carries him to the bedroom after they’ve dried off, lays him down on the bed and instructs him to roll over. Renjun complies, curious to see what Jaemin is up to, and jumps when he feels oil drizzled on his back. He hears Jaemin laugh and scowls into the pillow, but he sighs when Jaemin presses his hands into the muscles in his back, slowly working the knots.

Renjun melts, his eyes falling shut as he goes boneless. The pain every time Jaemin’s probing fingers discover a knot is brief as they break apart under his meticulous touch, and sweet relief follows. He doesn’t even realize how loudly he’s groaning until Jaemin pauses and calls his name, concerned.

“Please don’t stop,” Renjun begs, and he can practically hear Jaemin’s smile as he keeps going. When Renjun’s eyelids start feeling like lead, he gets Jaemin to stop his ministrations and instead lie beside him so they can cuddle. The oil is probably going to stain their sheets, but whatever, they’re a cheap set anyway. “Mm, thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course,” Jaemin says, and Renjun feels himself being turned over so Jaemin can press kisses to his pliant mouth. Renjun wraps his arms around Jaemin’s neck and pulls him down, content to just stay like this. 

He feels Jaemin pull the blanket over the both of them, and he sinks into the mattress, letting sleep pull him under. Everything is warm and soft and hazy, and even though Renjun is sleepy, he doesn’t feel tired anymore.

“Hey.” The room is dark now. Jaemin must have turned off the lights. “I’m proud of you, Renjun. And I love you. Don’t forget that, okay?”

 _I’m proud of you too,_ Renjun wants to say, but by the time his brain processes it, he’s falling asleep.

It’s okay, though, because he can always tell Jaemin tomorrow. 

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jaemarking)   
>  [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/jaemarked)


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